[lbsnake7]

MLS has the same problem basketball leagues have overseas. The NBA is where the best players in the world play and I can watch it on TV, why would I watch a local sports league? There is some hometown pride from the diehards but casuals would watch the NBA. Similarly in soccer, I don’t think it is feasible to expect the MLS to break out of their niche. The casuals are watching the Premier League. We are now just watching the MLS figure out how big the niche can get.

[EstesPark]

You underestimate the reach of Messi. I lived in Italy for a large part of my adult life and had messages from friends there commenting on the Inter Miami replay which was being broadcast in a pub they were at. I don't personally believe the NBA comparison works well as you have global stars playing in leagues around the world - not just isolated to the premier league. A simple example is Mbappe is in France, Halland in England, Vinicius in Spain, and the heavy ballon d'or favorite in America.

The Inter Miami Instagram account went from under a million followers to one of the most followed accounts in American sports - beating every NFL, NHL, and MLB team.

I also think you underestimate how many people from the United States follow MLS. For example, Atlanta Uniteds 2022 average attendance was the second highest average attendance across sports in North and Central America. The 2022 numbers would put it at 8th highest average attendance in the premier league. The recent LA Galaxy vs LAFC match had an attendance of over 82k fans. For comparison, the 2018 Arsenal vs Spurs match at Wembly was played in front of 83k.

Also, MLS sees the heaviest growth around the World Cup time period. Over the next four years you have massive tournaments being played in the United States from the 2023 Copa America to the World Cup.

[thakoppno]

> broadcast in a pub

One aspect of this deal eluding me is whether it is permissible to show these MLS games in sports bars.

The NFL enforces very strict licensing for public displays of its games.

[EstesPark]

I imagine smaller pubs in Italy couldn't care less about whether they are allowed to show MLS matches or not. If the HDMI cord works, it works.

Just an honest thought as I've heard it from now two different individuals at two different pubs.

EDIT: Just did some digging and it appears that MLS Season Pass is made available at over 300,000 restaurants and pubs in the United States alone through Direct TV.

https://www.directv.com/insider/directv-for-business-and-mls...

[yoyoyo1122]

Like every other major broadcasted sport, it's not permissible, just extremely hard to enforce.

The sports leagues and networks sell specific packages for businesses.

[EstesPark]

For reference: DirectTV and Apple made MLS Season Pass available for streaming at commercial establishments.

https://www.directv.com/insider/directv-for-business-and-mls...

[SkyPuncher]

For me, I think the key difference is time of day (at least as a USA watcher).

European soccer is 5 hours ahead. By the time I'm settling in for the night, all of the European leagues are over.

Right now, I'm watching a lot of South American and Mexican teams. I have no idea who they are, but they fill a void while I browse on my laptop. MLS can easily fill that prime time/late night void.

[kjkjadksj]

People love going to mls games, they are cheap and accessible, and for the most part its very much an atmosphere of die hard soccer fans. They can’t go to manchester united games, but they can watch el tráfico and it gets intense. Fans get into fights with the opposition just like in Europe.